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Managing Heart Failure in Africa

Publications relevant to managing heart failure in Africa.

Much of the global burden of disease is now carried by low- and middle-income countries. In addition Africa has unique cardiovascular diseases that occur more commonly in Africans. Examples are peripartum cardiomyopathy, endomyocardial fibrosis and subvalvular aneurysm. Patients often present only in advanced heart failure because of poor access to good healthcare. 

Update of the HF Guidelines

As previously reported, Dr Martin Mpe and the HeFSSA Exco have embarked on the mammoth task of updating the HF guidelines. The aim is to use the ESC Guidelines as basis en then produce an Executive summary from a South-African perspective without losing the core of the ESC guidelines. 

Hypertension: A Global Perspective

Global hypertension and preventing hypertensive heart failure

Case presentation 1: A morbidly obese but nonsmoking and nondiabetic 44-year-old African woman (body mass index, 41kg/m2) presents with exertional dyspnea to a primary healthcare clinic in Soweto, adjacent to Johannesburg, South Africa. She seeks medical attention for the first time. [Download PDF]

Heart disease, diabetes, and stroke conference

The Pan African Society of Cardiology (PASCAR) and the Uganda Heart Association convened for the third multidisciplinary conference on heart disease, diabetes, and stroke in Africa in Kampala, Uganda on 27 - 30 May 2011. Prof Karen Sliwa attended this meeting as one of the faculty members. The congress was very well organized and well attended by cardiologists from Africa, USA, Australia and Europe. Several lectures related to diagnosis and management of heart failure was presented at the meeting.

Global Survey of medical specialist management of chronic HF

There are wide variations in the management of heart failure, both within and between countries. Whereas these have been documented to some extent in Western countries, there are no data on cardiologist's awareness and perception of heart failure management in developing countries, in which heart failure is or soon will be of major importance. This survey aims to describe the diagnosis, different forms of care and the treatment of heart failure across a wide variety of countries by cardiologists and other specialists who manage heart failure patients.